The Heart of Arenal: A Prose Poem

2nd Saturday prompt: volcanoes, real or metaphorical

The road turns, and she comes into view, rising above the landscape as a singular undaunted monolithic presence. Her shoulders hold aloft their downward slope with equal measures of elegance and self-assuredness. The Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica hasn’t erupted in over a decade, but that fact does not take away from the imperiousness that belies her unpredictable outbursts in preceding times.

I am used to seeing mountains that belong to ranges, their ridges forming layers, breaking up the horizon in lazy drawls arcing as far as my eyes can follow. Arenal is different. Arenal is solitary, standing alone like a woman challenged, standing tall like a woman that won’t give in, standing aloft with her head held high. There are no ridges anywhere around, she stands tall but alone, no clutter breaking up my direct view of her form. It’s like she’s chosen to do away with anything that might act as a shield, exposing herself in all her nakedness. It’s like she’s thrown away all visible masks to fear, braving the winds and the sun and all the eyes that look at her, searching for her soul, searching for their own too. Searching, searching for the lost souls that they misplaced somewhere along life’s trails.

There is a smudge of cloud at the top, one last vestige of privacy that she holds against her chest, one last card up her sleeve. One last veil that she’s claimed for her own, and one that I cannot begrudge her.

Arenal wasn’t always this silent. In decades past, she blew apart the landscape around her, flinging lava and giant rocks weighing in the tons, destroying towns, killing humans, and scaring away precious wildlife. For forty-two years she kept up her violence, never continuous, never predictable, but completely deliberate.

Perhaps she had an ocean inside her, and when the tidal waves got overwhelming, she’d whirl them out. Perhaps underneath the ocean, there were galaxies and stars, and when the fusion reactions got the better of her, she would belch the explosions. Perhaps underneath the galaxies and stars lay a little bit of the space time fabric, concealing her own beating heart. Concealed and buried, but not forgotten. Still as capable of destruction as she was capable of nurture.

Arenal has been silent for the past thirteen years. Silent in the contemplation of the beauty that still surrounds her. Silent in the contemplation of time’s giant machinations, and humanity’s many failings. What made her spew, and what made her fall silent — perhaps we will never answer those questions. Those secrets are buried deep in her heart, underneath the galaxies and stars, underneath the vast oceans cloaking her soul.

Because who can really understand a woman’s heart. Perhaps not even herself. No, not even herself.

Paroma Sen 2024

Prompt:

For this week’s prompt, write about a volcano, either real or metaphorical. I traveled to Costa Rica over the winter holidays, and spent a couple of days near the Arenal Volcano. The experience inspired the thoughts that I captured here.

Feel free to use any form, either poetry or prose poetry , with a minimum of 200 words. Please use ‘Prompt’ and the type of submission (‘Poetry’ or ‘Prose Poem’) as two of the tags. Tag me in it, link to this post, and have fun!

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